Free As A Bird
by KamilJeane
Summary: Angela longs for freedom from her overbearing father. While visiting relatives over the summer, she discovers the life she's always dreamed of. When she falls in love with one of Santa Carla's own, she finds out he's been keeping a dark secret. Marko/OC
1. Welcome to Santa Carla

**AN: Unfortunaly, I don't own The Lost Boys or any of it's characters. I do own Angela and any others you don't recognize.**

**I also don't own the song lyrics at the beginning of this chapter.**

**Free As A Bird**

"_Free as a bird, it's the next best thing to be._

_Free as a bird. Home, home and dry,_

_like a homing bird I'll fly as a bird on wings. _

_Whatever happened to the life that we once knew? _

_Can we really live without each other?" _

_-The Beatles._

Angela Nolan sighed at the scenery traveling past the window. She stuck her arm out, allowing the wind to race between her fingers. She tried to imagine what living in California would be like.

Although she was born in Santa Carla, she and her parents moved to Colorado when she was a few weeks old. She had been to visit as a small child, but after the passing of her mother, her father had a hard time going back until now.

Even though she was 17, Angela wasn't left at home alone very often and was usually shipped off to a relatives house over the summer because her father worked a lot. This year she'd be spending it in Santa Carla with her cousin Drew and his parents.

"Well look at that, we're almost there Angela!" Her father Richard broke her train of thought.

She looked just ahead and her eyes met with a large sign reading, _"Welcome to Santa Carla!" _She didn't know whether she was excited or nervous about this, and the words "Murder Capital of the World" plastered on the back of the sign only added to her confusion.

"Great." was all she could think to say as she slouched in her seat.

"Oh come on Angela, it won't be so bad. You loved it here when you were little." Richard pleaded.

"Dad, I was like three the last time I was here. It's not like I remember the place."

He smiled at his daughter. "I guess you're right. But remember, it's only for the summer so at least try to enjoy it."

"I don't see why I even have to come here in the first place dad, I was perfectly fine at home."

"Angela we've been over this." he stated simply.

They'd had the same conversation a hundred times. Richard didn't feel safe having Angela home alone while he worked during the summer. She constantly reminded him that she was old enough to take care of herself. He constantly ignored her and shipped her off to a relatives house whenever she had time off school.

"Besides," he continued, "You haven't seen your cousin in years. It will be nice spending time with him. And hey, it beats knitting with your grandmother all summer." He nudged her arm with his elbow and she smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." she sighed.

"Good. Oh, there's the famous Santa Carla boardwalk. Your aunts house is only a couple of minutes away!"

Angela looked at the area bustling with people and her previous confusion began to lean towards the more excited side. "Maybe it won't be so bad after all." she thought to herself.

They soon pulled up to the small tan-colored house. Angela liked the fact that it wasn't an elaborate house like the one she lived in. This house seemed more cozy, more like a _home. _Like her father, her aunt and uncle had plenty of money, but unlike him they didn't feel the need to flaunt it with big houses and other material things.

Angela heard her father mumbling something about a waste of money, when a tall red-headed woman came running out of the house.

"Hello! I'm so glad you're finally here! Come on inside, have something to eat." she exclaimed while giving Richard a hug. "Hello Jane!" he replied to his sister. "I would love to but I have to get back on the road."

Although Jane's face held a look of confusion, Angela wasn't at all surprised by this. It was just like her father to drop her off somewhere and leave as soon as he could. She just watched silently as he pulled her bags out of the trunk and set them in the driveway, something she'd seen a hundred times before. She didn't have to wait long for the words she'd heard a hundred times before: "I really have to get back to work."

"Oh, well ok then." Jane said trying to read Angela's face, but getting nothing. "Maybe when you pick her up at the end of the summer we'll all have lunch or something."

"Yeah, maybe." He said closing the trunk and walking over to Angela. "You have a good summer kiddo." He kissed her cheek and got in the car, waving as he pulled out of the driveway and down the road out of sight.

Jane cleared her throat. "Well, I guess we should get your bags inside then, I'll show you your room!"

They grabbed Angela's belongings and made their way into the house. Angela followed her aunt upstairs and to the last door at the end of the small hallway. Jane sat her bags down. "Ok well this is your room, I'll let you get settled and when you're done just come down to the kitchen for dinner. Your uncle and Drew will be home soon."

"Thanks aunt Jane." Angela smiled as Jane made her way downstairs. She took a deep breath before slowly opening the door to the room she would call her own for the next few months.

Upon opening the door, she immediately fell in love. She dragged her bags inside before taking a good look around. She sat on her new bed under the only window in the room and took in everything around her. To her left was a large closet with double doors. To the right of her, there was a small desk in the corner with only a mirror and small lamp on it. Along the same wall was a private bathroom. Although small, it was hers nonetheless and she was happy with it. In front of her was perhaps her favorite thing about the room: the door to her own balcony. It too was small, but the view of the ocean just beyond the field-sized backyard was breathtaking.

It didn't take long to unpack her things, and getting settled in was surprisingly easy for her. Before going down to dinner, she decided to change into a simple t-shirt and cut-off jean shorts. She threw her wavy brown hair into a ponytail and made her way downstairs to the kitchen where she immediately recognized the smell of her favorite: pizza.

**AN: Ok so first chapter was kind of short, I was just trying to use this chapter to get all the basics out of the way. The second chapter is mostly written, besides a few small things and of coarse editing, so it should be up soon. Definatly more interesting and for all you Marko lovers out there, he makes his first appearance in the next chapter for sure, yay! Feel free to let me know what you think, thanks.**


	2. Strange

"Hey Ange!" Drew pulled her into a hug before playfully ruffling her hair.

"Hey! Knock it off!" she laughed while pulling away from him.

He was the same age as Angela and looked exactly like his mother: tall, skinny, and red-headed.

"Angela, it's so good to have you here." her uncle said walking into the room. She hugged him before sitting down at the table, "Thanks for having me, Uncle Al."

"I remembered pizza was your favorite." Jane said as everyone settled around the table and began eating.

"It is. Thank you." Angela was caught off guard by her aunts words. She hadn't seen her in years and yet she remembered something as small as her favorite food. Her father didn't even know her favorite food.

"So," Al began. "What do you kids plan to do this summer?"

"Well, I have baseball and stuff," Drew said between bites, "But I'm sure the team wouldn't mind you hanging around Ange."

Angela wasn't too thrilled about that idea. "That's ok, I mean there's the beach and the boardwalk. I'm sure I can find stuff to do."

"Hey, why don't you take her to the boardwalk tonight, Drew?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, sure." He said. "Some friends are getting together down by the beach at sunset for a small bonfire. People should start showing up pretty soon actually, you in?"

"Yeah, sounds like fun." Angela replied. "I'll just grab a sweater and we can go."

* * *

Angela, with Drew at her side, walked along the boardwalk taking in the wild nightlife around her. She found herself completely fascinated by the variety of people surrounding her. She stopped to watch as a girl around her age got her ears pierced.

"No way!" she said to Drew without taking her eyes off of the sight in front of her.

"Cool isn't it?" He said to her. "I wanted one once, but my mom wouldn't let me."

"I'm not surprised." she laughed.

They walked a little farther when a tiny shop caught Angela's eyes. It was a small pet shop that had several cages displayed outside. She ran over and immediately stopped in front of the bird cages.

"Aren't they beautiful?" she said when Drew caught up to her.

"Angela, we didn't come to look at birds." he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but-"

"You have all summer Ange. Come on," he nudged her arm. "Let's get to the bonfire."

They continued through the large crowd, eventually making their way down a large staircase and onto the beach. They met with a small group of people gathered around a fire.

"Hey guys." Drew said. Various "Hellos" shot back from the small group.

"Everyone, this is my cousin Angela. Angela, this is, well, everyone."

Angela let out a small laugh, "Hi everyone."

It wasn't long before she became acquainted with everyone. She seemed to fit in well and even made plans to hang out with the girls during baseball games.

Although she was having fun with Drew's friends, she couldn't help but want to explore the boardwalk some more.

She tried to come up with an excuse to leave the group. "Hey Drew, I'm getting kind of thirsty."

"We have a cooler over here with some soda and stuff." A boy named Brian stated.

"No thanks," she played with the hem of her shirt, aware that she was a bad liar. "I really want some…water." Water? She wanted to slap herself.

"Um, ok well here's a couple dollars," Drew handed her some money. "There's a ton of food places up there, I'm sure you can find some _water_." It was clear he didn't believe her.

"Thanks." She said softly. She couldn't believe she was already lying and hadn't been in town for 24 hours yet. She couldn't help herself though: she had a chance to be on her own, away from her father, in the most interesting and wild town she'd ever seen.

"Be careful." He said before she turned to leave.

As she approached the steps leading to the boardwalk, she was stopped by the sound of howling laughter and the roar of motorcycles. She looked to the top of the staircase and immediately jumped to her right in order to avoid being run over by the gang of guys quickly descending down the steps. There were four of them, three blondes and a brunette. They whipped past her, each flashing an alluring grin her way. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she watched the four boys ahead of her. She managed to snap out of her slight daze and made her way up the staircase and onto the boardwalk into the bustling crowd.

She wandered around aimlessly, absolutely amazed by the different types of people that surrounded her. The people all seemed so happy, so alive, so _free. _Something she desperately longed for.

She couldn't help but smile as she thought about the reaction her father would have if he knew she was walking around this type of area by herself. She then realized this was the first time she had been walking around by herself, that she could remember, and made a mental note to make the absolute most of this summer.

After checking out a few small shops and watching a concert for a few minutes, she remembered the animal shop with the small birds. She decided she would make one last stop to see them before returning to the bonfire.

It was a short walk through the crowd to the small shop. The area wasn't as crowded as the rest of the boardwalk. She could see that there were people inside the shop through the large front window. A man, she assumed was the owner, smiled at her from inside and went about interacting with customers and cleaning the store. Most of the cages from earlier had been moved inside, all except for the bird cage.

She placed her hands on the small cage letting her fingers slip through the bars.

"Hi there." she said softly admiring the small animals. She laughed as they fluttered about the cage, chirping sweetly back at her.

She was so focused on the birds in front of her she didn't notice that someone had walked up beside her.

"Amazing creatures, aren't they?" a voice broke her from her thoughts.

"Absolutely," she began while turning to face the voice.

Her eyes first met with a colorful, almost gypsy-like jacket. They then made their way up to the stranger's face and upon meeting the bluest eyes she'd ever seen, her heart nearly stopped beating.

"They're beautiful."

The man's face lit up at her words and his mouth spread into a wild grin. She suddenly recognized him as one of the guys on the motorcycles from earlier.

"The birds I mean," she stated quickly. "The birds are beautiful."

She felt her face turning red and turned back to the cage in an attempt to hide it.

The man gave a small laugh. "Yes they are. I'm Marko."

She turned back to him as her face returned to it's normal color. "I'm Angela."

"It's nice to meet you Angela."

The sound of her name on his lips was like nothing she'd ever heard before. He was like no one she'd ever seen before. She had to keep herself from staring at him when she realized he said something else to her.

"I'm sorry," she said slightly embarrassed, she was trying her hardest not to fumble her words in front of him. "I didn't catch what you said."

He smiled at her. "I asked if you were new around here. It's just that I've never seen you before."

"Oh, yeah. I'm staying with family for the summer."

"Well, here in Santa Carla, you're in for a very interesting summer."

Angela laughed at his words, oblivious to the tone in his voice.

"I sure hope so." she smiled.

"Do you want to go for a walk? Maybe grab something to eat?"

Angela looked around and with no sighting of Drew she decided a walk would be harmless. "Yeah, sure." she said nodding.

She took one last glance at the small birds and the two began making their way down the boardwalk.

"So were you thinking of getting one of those birds?" Marko broke the silence.

"Oh no, I was just looking at them."

"Really? You seemed to really love them."

"I do! I just meant I wouldn't own one. I don't have the heart to cage them. Besides, my dad wouldn't let me have one anyways."

"Not a fan of animals?"

"He hates birds." she said with a slight laugh, although there was a bit of sadness in her words.

They came to a small ice cream stand near the end of the boardwalk. They each got a small cup and walked over to an empty bench.

"So," Marko started. "What brings you to Santa Carla anyways?"

Angela took a bite of her ice cream. "My dad sends me away every summer."

"Sends you away? He doesn't come with?"

"No, he works too much. That's why he ships me off in the first place."

"He doesn't trust you?"

Angela had to think about the question. It was obvious on her face that she honestly didn't know.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't mean-"

"It's ok," she looked at him. "It doesn't matter anyways."

"Why wouldn't it matter?"

She was about to answer him when she noticed Drew standing a few yards away at a comic book store and realized he must have been looking for her.

Angela stood up. "I think it's time for me to go. Thank you for the ice cream."

"Oh, ok." Marko said as he stood beside her. "Do you need a ride home?"

"No, my cousin is waiting for me, he'll bring me home. Thanks though." She began walking toward the comic shop.

"Angela!" he called after her.

She turned around and paused.

"I hope I see you again."

Angela smiled at him, almost in disbelief, and just before turning to leave she said, "It was nice meeting you Marko."

Marko remained standing there watching as she disappeared into the crowd, his signature grin spread across his face.

"Well look who it is." Drew said as Angela approached him. "I was beginning to think you drowned in all that _water._"

"Shut up." she replied with her head down. "You're not going to tell on me are you?"

He laughed. "Ange, your dad isn't around, what kind of cousin would I be if I didn't let you cause some trouble?"

She looked up and smiled. "Thanks."

"Oh hey, I want you to meet some people." He motioned two boys over to where they stood.

"Angela, this is Edgar and Alan Frog. They run this comic shop."

Had these boys been anywhere but in Santa Carla, she might have thought they were pretty odd looking. They seemed as if they were ready to go to combat at any moment. One wore a camouflage army-like shirt with a red cloth tied around his head. The other wore a sleeveless airborne t-shirt. Both had very serious demeanors about them but Angela had to keep herself from laughing when she heard the voice of the boy with the headband.

"Do you read comic books?" Such a serious voice for what Angela thought was a very simple, childish, question.

"Um, no. Not really." She said confused.

The second brother, Alan, chimed in, "Are you prepared to defend yourself against vamp-"

Drew cut him off before he could finish. "Alright guys, knock it off. Come on Angela, we got to get home." He began leading her out of the shop.

"Alright," Edgar said. "But if you notice any strange happenings Angela, you know where to find us."

"Sure thing guys." she said trying to humor the boys. "Nice meeting you."

She could feel their eyes on the back of her neck as she walked out.

"Who do I go to if they're the strange ones?" she joked.

* * *

Al and Jane were already in bed when they returned home. Only a small lamp in the living room was on when they walked in.

Next to it was a note that Jane had left:

_Hope you had fun tonight, you can fill us in tomorrow._

_Drew, don't forget to pick up your uniform at 2pm._

_Angela, your father wants you to call him tonight. _

_Love you both._

"It's pretty late, I'm sure he won't mind if you just call him tomorrow." Drew said putting the note back on the end table.

"No," Angela sighed. "He wants me to call tonight, I _have _to call tonight."

"Alright well I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Goodnight."

As Drew made his way upstairs, Angela sat on the couch and reluctantly picked up the phone. It only took one ring for him to answer.

"Angela! How was your first day of vacation?"

"I don't know dad, it was alright."

"Your uncle told me you kids went out tonight."

"Yeah, we just went to the boardwalk. Nothing crazy."

There was no way she was going to tell him about the boy she met. She'd save that heart attach for another day.

"Well were there any other kids with you? Did you go to the arcade?"

Kids. After seventeen years he still referred to his daughter as a child and assumed she spent her spare time at arcades.

"Yeah Dad," she lied. "We met up with some of Drew's friends, got some pizza, and hung out at the arcade all night."

"Well that's-"

She cut him off. "You know Dad, I'm kind of tired. I think I'm going to go to bed."

"Ok then kiddo, I guess I'll turn in for the night too. I love you."

"Love you too, Dad."

After a long shower, Angela sat at her desk combing her hair and tying it into a single braid that fell over her shoulder. As she was finishing, she thought she heard a slight knock at the balcony door.

Confused, she walked over and opened the door but as she expected, no one was there.

"It must have been the wind." She thought as she stepped out onto the balcony. The view of the moon illuminating the ocean was stunning.

Leaning up against the railing, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, absorbing the ocean air as much as she could. She glanced up once more at the night sky before returning to her room.

Before riding off on his bike, Marko watched from the water's edge as the light from her bedroom went out for the night.

**AN: Glad this chapter was longer than the first one. Hope you are enjoying it, let me know! If not, I still want to know! **


	3. Let's Go For a Ride

**A/N: **I am sooo sorry for taking so long to update! I had problems with my computer/internet but it's all fixed now so updates will come regularly I promise! Thanks to everyone who read the first 2 chapters, hope you like it. Also, thanks to **Emzy2k10, Ghostwriter, Emma M, Artemis-moongoddess89, **and** TheLonelyWinterQueen** for reviewing I'm so glad you guys are enjoying!

Angela awoke the next morning to the smell of pancakes cooking. She normally had plain cereal at home, so knowing there was hot breakfast waiting for her was a pleasant change.

"Good morning!" Jane said to her as she entered the kitchen. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine, thanks." Angela said with a yawn.

"Great, hope you like pancakes."

"Absolutely." she said sitting down at the table. "Where are the guys at?"

Jane set a plate of food in front her. "Al is at work and Drew had an early practice. I have errands to run but you're more than welcome to join me."

"That's ok," Angela said pouring syrup on her pancakes. "I'm sure I can find something to do."

"Are you sure? Well how about later on tonight, we all go and rent a movie?"

"Yeah sure, sounds like fun." Angela smiled.

Jane looked at the clock. "Oh goodness, I have to get going. Have a great day and I'll see you tonight sweetie!" She yelled as she rushed toward the front door.

"Ok, see you later." Angela called back.

After breakfast and a quick shower, Angela thought a trip to the beach would be a nice way to kill a few hours. She threw a pair of shorts over her red one-piece and flung a small tote bag over her shoulder. Discovering she had forgotten to pack a pair of sunglasses, she added to trip to some shops on the boardwalk.

After trying on countless pairs in several shops, she decided on a small purple pair with black lenses.

"Thanks!" she said to the store clerk as she made her way outside.

She walked up a few yards and when she recognized the comic book store, she decided to go in and say 'hi' to the Frog brothers.

The boys were standing by the entrance almost the second she walked in. She had to wonder if they somehow knew she was coming.

"Hey guys." she said placing her sunglasses in her bag.

"How was your first night in Santa Carla?" Alan asked.

"It was fine, thanks." Angela thought it was an innocent question, maybe she had judged these boys too quickly.

"Did you notice anything _strange_?" Maybe not.

"Uh, no not really."

Edgar spoke up, "Are you sure? No weird people or _things_?"

"You're seriously asking me if I've seen **weird **people around here?" she wanted to laugh. "Don't you live here?"

"I'm serious, Angela." he said handing her a comic book. "Take this."

Without even looking at it she handed it back. "I told you last night, I don't read comics."

"You'll want to read this one." He held it up.

The words "Vampires Everywhere" entered her vision.

Angela thought it was a joke, but the serious faces staring back at her threw her off. She reluctantly took it from his hands.

"You can learn a lot from this but if you have any questions, our number is on the back." Alan said.

"What am I supposed to learn from a comic book?"

"About vampires of coarse." Edgar stated.

"And how to defend yourself against them in case of an attach." Alan threw in.

Angela thought these two had lost it, and it was written all over her face.

"Don't tell me Drew didn't tell you." Edgar stepped closer to her.

"Tell me what?"

The two boys looked at each other before Edgar decided he would be the one to deliver the news, in his most serious tone yet:

"Santa Carla is infested with vampires."

She couldn't take it anymore. The laughter poured out of her entire body.

"And I bet zombies come here to keep up their tans, huh?"

"This is serious!" Alan yelled.

Angela ignored him. "Oh seriously guys, thanks. I needed a good laugh."

Before they could respond, she began walking out of the store, the boys just staring at her.

"I'll see you guys later, and thanks for the comic!" she laughed.

* * *

After laying out on the beach for a while, Angela made her way back to the house where Jane was putting away groceries in the kitchen.

"Hey, need some help?" Angela asked.

"Oh, I'm almost done honey. How was your day?"

"It was pretty good. Went to the beach for a while."

"That's great. Al is going to be home a little late so why don't you go change while I finish with the groceries and we'll go rent a movie."

"What about Drew?"

"He's staying with a friend tonight so it will just be the three of us."

She went to her room and set her bag on the bed. She changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and met her aunt in the living room before making their way to the car.

After spending a while checking out different shelves and disagreeing on every movie they came across, Angela decided on Silver Bullet.

"Alright," Jane said as they walked out of the store. "But next time I get to pick!"

"You haven't even seen it yet, give it a chance!"

* * *

Al made it home around 8 that night causing them to have a late dinner.

"I'm so sorry, I got held up at the office." he said kissing Jane on the cheek. "I know you girls wanted to rent a movie but-"

"It's ok," Angela said. "We got one earlier!"

"Well great, everything worked out then."

About an hour later, Jane went to turn the television on while Angela and Al got set on the couch, munching on popcorn.

"Oh great," Jane said as she opened the video case. "Can you believe the wrong video is in here?"

"What movie is it?" Al asked.

"Nosferatu."

"The old vampire movie?" Angela asked.

"Yeah. Do you want me to run back to the store?" Al stood up. "I'm sure they won't mind switching it."

"No." Jane sighed. "I'll take it back later. We can find something on TV instead."

"Actually Aunt Jane, I wouldn't mind taking it back now." Angela stood up.

Drew would be able to see right through her sweet smile and know she just wanted to go out to the boardwalk, but lucky for her, her aunt and uncle weren't so perceptive.

"Are you sure? It's really not a big deal."

"Yeah, it's fine. Besides, it's not much of a family night if Drew isn't here."

"I suppose we could watch a movie together another time." Al said. "We _do_ have all summer."

"Well ok," Jane smiled. "Don't stay out too late, and bring a jacket."

Angela left the house, forgetting to grab a jacket. She only noticed how cold she was when she was too close to the boardwalk to go back. Arriving there, however, she became distracted by the nightlife and forgot about the temperature.

She walked into the video store hoping to find the same young woman from earlier in the day. With no luck, she decided she would just go the counter and explain the situation to the person working there. As she turned around to make her way to the counter, she bumped into someone.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there." she exclaimed.

"It's quite alright," the man said. "No harm done. I'm Max, I own this video store."

"Oh great." she said embarrassed. "I just ran into the owner."

Max laughed. "I assure you, it's alright. What's your name dear?"

"Angela."

At the sound of her name, Angela thought his eyes went cold, although his mouth still held a smile.

"Angela." he said, not so much to her but almost as if he was remembering it. "Well, Angela, how may I help you tonight?"

"Oh, well you see, I was in here earlier with my aunt and we got this movie only when we got home the wrong one was inside."

"Well that's no good." he smiled. "Tell you what, I'll take this back and the next time you and your folks come to rent videos, they'll be on the house. How's that sound?"

She couldn't help but notice that he didn't bother to look inside the case to see if it was actually the wrong movie.

"Sounds great! I'll let my aunt know. Thanks." she began walking out of the store.

"See you later Angela."

"Bye."

When she walked out of the store, she immediately recognized four boys leaning against the railing of the boardwalk, looking at the people below.

She walked over to them and before saying anything, one of the blondes turned around.

"Hey sweetheart." he said looking her up and down, taking a step towards her.

"Hi." she stepped back.

The other three boys turned around and upon seeing her, Marko's face lit up.

"I knew I'd see you again."

"You know this chick?" the brunette said.

"Yeah." Marko smiled, never taking his eyes off her.

"Well then what's her name?" the first blonde said.

"Angie."

"Angie? I like sweetheart better."

Angela noticed the shorter-haired blonde hadn't said anything yet.

"Shut up Paul." Marko said standing next to Angela. "That's Dwayne, that's David, and-"

Paul grabbed her had, kissing it lightly. "I'm Paul. Don't you forget that."

"I'll try not to." she said pulling her hand out of his unusually cold grip.

"You're such an idiot, man." Dwayne said.

"Let's get out of here." David finally spoke, never acknowledging Angela.

The group walked over to where their bikes were parked.

"You coming, sweetheart?" Paul asked.

"No, I should probably get back home." she folded her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling cold again.

"Come on," Marko said. "It'll be fun."

She looked over at the bikes, Marko following her gaze.

"Don't worry," he grinned. "I'll take care of you."

He pulled his jacket off and held it out for her. She sighed as she took it from his hands and slipped it on.

She climbed onto the back of his bike, lightly gripping is waste.

"It might get a little bumpy." he smiled as he pulled her arms around him.

She had no idea where they were going, but she didn't mind. She didn't mind that they were going so fast she couldn't make out anything around her. She didn't mind the wind piercing her scalp. She didn't mind how Marko's hair flew back and intertwined with her own.

The ride ended just as quickly as it had begun. Angela was confused as to why they stopped in front of what looked like a cave, but she followed them inside anyways.

It appeared messy with everything scattered around, but she didn't mind the clutter, in fact she liked it. The space was rather dim with the only light coming from fire-lit garbage cans that Dwayne lit with some sort of torch on the way in. There was an old fountain in the center of the room that held an old chandelier in the middle. It looked as if it had collapsed from the ceiling at some point, though the roof was caved in so she couldn't tell exactly where it had been hanging from. There were random objects hanging all over, as well as different types of cloth and candles giving the area a slightly feminine feel which made Angela wonder if a female had attempted to decorate the place.

"So what do you think?" Marko asked.

"It's amazing!" She then noticed a large bed off to the side of the room which caused her to notice just how lived-in the place felt. "You guys don't _live _here…do you?"

The fact that the boys only smiled at her was all the answer she needed.

"Right." she said under her breathe.

Just then, an unfamiliar voice called out, "Dwayne!"

Angela turned around to see a small boy running towards Dwayne, a girl about her own age walking in behind him.

"Hey Laddie!" Dwayne said as he ruffled the young boys hair.

"Who's she?" Laddie whispered.

"That's my new girlfriend." Paul smiled.

"You wish." Marko said. "Laddie, this is Angie."

"Hi Laddie," she smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

The young boy hid behind Dwayne's back, peeking around him with a small smile.

"He's a little shy." the woman stepped forward. "I'm Star."

Suddenly Angela felt like hiding behind someone's back.

She managed to force a barely audible "Hi" out before throwing her eyes to the floor.

Marko noticed her uneasiness. "You want to go sit down?"

He led her to a small corner of the room where they sat on wooden stools and watched as Paul and Dwayne played around with Laddie.

"So, your friends are…interesting."

Marko laughed, "Don't worry about Paul, he comes on to anything with legs, and Dwayne can seem quiet at first but he loosens up."

"Good to know," she let out a small laugh. "But I was actually talking more about David."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, he just doesn't seem to like me very much."

"Trust me Angie, if he didn't like you, you wouldn't be sitting here right now." he said with a laugh, although there was some truth in his voice. "Come on, I want to introduce you to someone." he stood up.

"There's other people here?"

"No," he laughed. "Come on."

They walked over to the large fountain. Marko hopped on with ease, then helped pull Angela up beside him.

"Alright," he said. "Now hold your arm straight out."

She giggled as she held her arm out. "Paul's not going to come sit on my arm is he?"

"Not unless you ask him to." he laughed. "Alright now hold still."

Marko began whistling and seconds later, a bird landed on her arm.

"Oh my…Marko it's beautiful!" she said admiring the white and greycreature.

"I knew you'd like him." he smiled at her.

"I do!" she exclaimed, petting the bird. "I bet he doesn't know how lucky he really is."

The bird began to flutter its wings so Angela swiftly lifted her arm up as it flew across the room to a small ledge.

"It must be so amazing." she never took her eyes off the small animal.

"What?"

"To be a bird. To be able to fly anywhere you want. To be free."

Marko couldn't help notice how sad she seemed even with a smile on her face.

"We're all free, Angie."

"I might not be caged but I'm not free." she looked to the floor.

Before Marko could say anything else a loud roar of thunder sounded.

"Sounds like it's going to storm tonight, I should probably go."

"Yeah, come on I'll take you home." he helped her off the fountain ledge.

She hoped to make it out of the cave unnoticed but had no such luck.

"Hey, you're not leaving already are you, sweetheart?" Paul called out causing everyone to stop and look at her.

"I'm taking her home, I'll be back." Marko said looking only at David who didn't respond.

"It was nice meeting you, Angie." Star seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"You too." Angela forced out. "Bye."

After a too-short ride Marko's bike stopped in front of her house where she reluctantly hopped off.

"Thanks for bringing me home, and oh, I almost forgot your jacket." she began taking it off.

"No, why don't you hold onto that for me."

"Why? What if you get cold?"

He smiled, "Don't worry about me, besides, I'll have to come back and get it sometime." His grin spread.

"I'll take good care of it." she laughed. "Good night, Marko."

He only smiled as she made her way to the door and slipped inside. Another roar of thunder sounded and when she turned to look outside he was already gone.

She quietly made her way to her room and drapped the jacket over the desk chair next to her bed. As she laid down and listened to the rain beginning to fall, she stared at the jacket until sleep took over her eyes.


	4. Warning

**A/N: **Yay for much quicker updates! Thanks to everyone who has been reading, and a big thanks to **NejisDarkNymph**, **callandra**,** Artemis-moongoddess89**, **xxxxParvati-Patilxxxx**, and **TheLonelyWinterQueen** for the reviews on the last chapter!

The sound of a telephone ringing was enough to wake Angela the next day. Only seconds later were there footsteps coming up the stairs followed by a soft knock on her door.

"Angela?" Jane called from the other side of the door. "Are you awake?"

She sat up. "Yes, come in."

"You have a phone call." Jane said standing in the doorway.

"What time is it?"

"Almost 12:30."

"Already?" Angela jumped out of bed. "I didn't mean to sleep so late, I'm-"

Jane laughed, "It's ok sweetie, it's summer you're supposed to sleep late."

Angela let out a relieved sigh. "Right, I guess I forgot."

"Well either way, it's a little late for breakfast so I'll fix you some lunch, how about a sandwich?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Ok, and maybe you can help out in the yard a little later."

"I don't know much about gardening or anything but I'll try." Angela laughed.

She followed her aunt downstairs and stopped in the hall where she picked up the phone.

"Hey Dad, how are you?"

"Angela?" A females voice asked. "It's Valerie, Drew's friend from the beach."

"Oh Valerie, I'm sorry I was expecting my dad for some reason!" she said embarrassed.

"It's alright," Valerie laughed. "I was actually calling to see if you wanted to hang out with me and Claire later."

"Yeah, that would be great."

"Awesome! We're thinking about dinner and a little shopping tonight, is that ok?"

"Sounds great, I'll see you tonight."

"Bye!"

* * *

After a quick lunch and a few hours with Jane in the back yard, Angela went upstairs to get ready.

The girl's arrived just before sunset. Angela jumped in the backseat of Valerie's car and they headed for the boardwalk. Because it was dark when she met them the first time, she was able to take in their appearances fully. Valerie was tall and slender with long curly red hair and fair skin. Claire seemed just her opposite, much shorter with short straight dark brown hair and a face covered in freckles. As different as they appeared, the more Angela looked at them the more they seemed to really fit each other. They even matched their outfits, causing Angela to reevaluate her own.

"Ok, what do we do first?" Claire said as they stepped out of the car.

"Well, I'm not really hungry yet." Valerie said.

"Well we can look through some stores first and then eat last." Angela suggested.

"Perfect!" the two girls exclaimed at the same time.

"So how do you like Santa Carla?" Claire asked as they entered a small shop.

"I really like it." Angela smiled. "It seems like a fun place to live, everyone seems so _alive._"

The two girl's shot each other a look before Valerie chimed in, "Yeah, well just be careful if you ever go out at night."

"Alone." Claire added.

Angela wondered how anyone could ever really be alone in such a busy town like Santa Carla. She went out by herself the night before and had a great time, but before she could respond to the two, they were already off wandering the aisles of the store.

A couple hours later, the small group decided on one more store before heading off to dinner. Once inside, the girls went their separate ways, looking through the many racks of clothes.

While looking at some t-shirts, something hit Angela lightly on the foot. She looked down and picked up a small ball, realizing it must belong to a child who lost it. She looked ahead of her in hopes of finding the owner. With no luck, she decided she would leave it at the front counter hoping it would be found, but before she was able to make her way to the front of the store someone was tapping her on her arm causing her to turn around.

"Laddie?"

"Hi Angie." he said softly looking at the object in her hand.

"This must be yours." she handed him the toy, spreading a smile across his face.

She looked behind him and noticed there was no one with him.

"You're not here by yourself are you?"

"No," a voice came from behind her. "He's with me."

Angela turned around, coming face to face with Star.

"Hi, Star." Angela's eyes hit the ground just as they did the night before, only this time Marko wasn't there to save her.

"Laddie, why don't you thank Angie, and then go sit on the bench right outside." Star began. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Thanks Angie." the boy ran off.

After a moment of silence, Angela decided to speak up.

"So, I like your skirt, did you-"

Star stopped her, "Angie you have to stay away from Marko."

"I'm sor….what?" She didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry but it's for your own good."

"My own good?"

"Yes, Marko's too!" Star stepped closer.

"You don't even know me that well." Angela stepped back.

"And you don't know Marko." Star came forward again. "Please, you have to trust me."

"Trust you? I don't know…wait a minute, you're with David right?" Angela stepped forward.

Star didn't respond, she was looking at Angela's face trying to figure her out, fear in her eyes.

"I get it," Angela finally spoke. "You're used to being the only girl, but I'm not-"

"It's not like that Angela." Star quickly interrupted.

"Then what's the problem?"

"Hey Angela, we're ready to leave," Claire appeared. "Oh, sorry I didn't know you were talking to someone."

"It's fine." Angela couldn't break her eyes from Star's. "I'm ready to go too. Bye, Star."

Star said nothing as Angela walked away, Claire and Valerie whispering behind her.

There was silence between the girls as they walked to the restaurant. Angela sat across from the two girls who exchanged looks, deciding Valerie would break the silence.

"So, how do you know her?"

"Who, Star?"

"Well, yeah." Claire said. "She's never spoken to either of us before and we've lived here for years."

"Yeah, and what were you talking about anyways?" Valerie added.

"Nothing," Angela started. "I mean, I don't know her." She mumbled something about a little boy in the store as she stared blankly out of the window next to her. There was something about the look in Star's eyes that she couldn't escape.

The dinner was relatively quiet, with the girl's only making small talk between bites. Eventually Claire and Valerie found themselves in their own conversation while Angela lost herself in her own thoughts. It wasn't long before they found themselves walking back to the car.

Once they were in the car Angela spoke up. "I'm really sorry you guys. I completely ruined dinner."

"No you didn't!" Claire exclaimed. "Believe me, I'd be freaked out if that girl talked to me too."

"What do you mean?" Angela asked.

"That girl's kind of creepy, Angela." Valerie said. "I mean, we don't really know her or anything but-"

"Then what do you mean?" Angela was surprised by the tone in her own voice, she was almost defending Star.

"Nothing," Claire started. "We didn't mean anything by it, it's just, you know the people she hangs out with…" her voice trailed off.

Before she could question them further, the car pulled into the driveway where Angela stepped out and began walking towards the front door.

"Hey!" Valerie called out. "So, we'll see you at the baseball game tomorrow then, right?"

"Yeah, see you guys tomorrow." Angela forced a smile as the car pulled away.

Drew was sitting in the living room when she walked in.

"Hey Ange." he said staring at the television.

"Hey." she sat down.

"So how was it? Those two can be a little weird sometimes." Drew joked.

"It was alright." she smiled. "Except, they got kind of scared of a girl we saw."

She didn't mention her name, afraid Drew would have the same reaction the girls did.

"I'm not surprised," he laughed. "They think vampires are taking over the town."

"Vampires?"

"Oh yeah, the Frog brothers got to them and totally freaked them out. I'm surprised they haven't got to you yet."

Angela let out a relieved laugh, "The Frog brothers, I should have known."

"Yeah, well I'm gonna get to bed."

"Me too." she said as they made their way upstairs.

"Night Ange."

"Goodnight."

Once in her room, Angela tossed her bag on the bed only to watch it fall off. She sighed at her poor aim and walked over to pick up the contents that had fallen out. She knelt on the ground and threw the items inside, the last of which caused her to pause.

She took the comic book in her hands and Drew's words rang in her ears.

"Don't be stupid." she thought to herself.

She flipped the comic book over and saw a phone number scribbled on the back.

"The Frog brothers." She thought. "Why not."

She made her way downstairs and once she was sure no one was around she sat in the living room with the phone on her lap. Reluctantly, she dialed the number and the boys answered so fast she wondered if it even rang.

"Hello." Edgar spoke first.

She immediately regretted calling and as she contemplated hanging up, Alan spoke.

"It's Angela."

"How did you know that?" Angela asked shocked.

"What's wrong?" Edgar ignored her question.

"Nothing, why do you think something's wrong?"

"We told you to call if there was a problem." Edgar said.

"I'm not in trouble or anything, I just thought maybe you could help me with something."

"Hey, we're vampire hunters not a chat line." Alan stated.

"Fine, sorry I asked. See you guys around."

"Wait!" Edgar exclaimed. "What exactly is your dilemma?"

Angela sighed, "Well there's this girl and," she didn't want to come straight out and ask if she was a vampire; that would be admitting to herself that they could be real.

"And?" Alan asked.

"Well, I figured you guys might know her, and could tell me about her, like who she is exactly."

"What's her name?" Edgar asked.

"Star."

After a moment between the two boys, Alan spoke up. "We don't know any 'Star' but we'll look into it for you."

"Thanks guys."

"Is there anyone else?" Edgar asked.

She thought of Marko and the whole group, but decided it would be best not to mention any of them for now.

"Uh, no that's it. Just her."

Alan whispered to Edgar so Angela couldn't hear, "She hesitated."

"Are you _sure _there's no one else?" Edgar asked.

"Positive." She answered quickly.

"Alright," Edgar replied. "We'll call as soon as we know anything."

"Great, thanks. I'll talk to you later." She responded before hanging up.

Before laying down for the night, Angela ran her fingers softly over the jacket that sat on her desk chair. She found it difficult to fall asleep that night with images of the young woman appearing every time she closed her eyes, and the sound of her warning humming in her ears.

**A/N: **Sorry if this chapter was bit boring, I'm excited for the next one though! Hope you guys are still enjoying!


	5. Close to the Sun

**A/N: **Big thanks to **Horror Goddess**, **NejisDarkNymph**, **xxxxParvati-Patilxxxx**, **Peya Luna**, **TheLonelyWinterQueen**, and **Artemis-moongoddess89** for the wonderful reviews, I'm so happy you all are enjoying!

The next afternoon, Angela paced her room hoping for a phone call from the Frogs. Thoughts of the meeting with Star kept her up most of the night, attempting to figure out the motive behind her warning.

"Are you ready to go?" Al appeared in the doorway. "The game starts soon."

"Yeah, I'll be right there."

At first, Angela was pleased to have the game serve as a distraction for her. She found temporary peace in cheering for Drew and his team, with her aunt and uncle beside her. It wasn't long, however, that the stress returned for Claire and Valerie soon arrived at the game.

As hard as Angela tried to concentrate on the game, the two girls were more interested in discussing the previous nights events.

"I can't believe she just walked up to you like that." Claire said.

"Yeah, I mean she doesn't even know you." Valerie added.

"Our team's winning, isn't it great!" Angela made a poor attempt at changing the subject.

"I mean, what was she even saying to you?" Claire asked.

"I bet she was trying to get you to do some kind of voodoo." Valerie said, her eyes wide.

"Yeah!" Claire exclaimed. "And I bet she-"

"What's the matter with you guys?" Angela interrupted. "Sorry, never mind. I want some popcorn, do you guys want anything?"

Before they could respond, Angela excused herself and left the stands. She walked right passed the food stand and away from the baseball field. She didn't realize she had walked through town until she found herself at the boardwalk. She decided to search for Marko, hoping to discuss her conversation with Star.

She walked all around the boardwalk and onto the beach, no sighting of him or his friends. When she noticed the sun beginning to set, she made her way back to the baseball field where the game was just ending.

She made her way to where her aunt and uncle sat just in time to watch Drew's team win the game. They soon met with him in the parking lot and made plans to celebrate the win with dinner out at a restaurant. Angela, Jane, and Al headed to the restaurant as Drew headed home for a quick shower.

The restaurant was located near the beach at the top of a large bluff. The only way to and from the restaurant was a single road which curled all the way around.

It wasn't long until Drew joined the trio, and dinner proved to be a pleasant, much needed, distraction for Angela. The small dim-lit area served as a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy the company and conversation of her family.

"I'm so happy you're here with us, Angela." Jane said.

"Me too," Angela replied. "Thanks for letting me stay with you."

"You're more than welcome to stay with us anytime." Al added. "Remember that."

"When was the last time you talked to your dad?" Drew asked.

"A couple days ago I think."

Angela was surprised by her own answer, they all were. It wasn't like Richard to not check up on her daily.

"Well, maybe he knows you're having a great time and doesn't want to bother you." Jane suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." Angela smiled.

She knew that wasn't the reason he hadn't called. She figured he was buried in his work and simply too busy to call, but for the first time that didn't bother her. She was happy to be able to spend time with a family that completely took her in and treated her like a human being instead of a piece of glass.

As the evening went on, Angela found herself staring out at the ocean, grateful for such a nice night. She turned her attention back to the table to take a drink of water. She had to keep herself from spitting the water back out when she heard the roar of a motorcycle.

"Are you alright?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she said embarrassed. "I just…I just need some fresh air, excuse me."

"Are you sure?" Al stood up.

"Yes, I'll be right back." She said as she quickly left the table.

She made her way out to the parking lot, looking in all directions for any sight of a motorcycle. With no luck, she walked to the end of the small parking lot where she rested her hands against the railing separating the lot from the edge of the bluff. She sighed as she looked out across the ocean, distracted once again with thoughts of Marko and her interaction with Star.

Deciding she should go back inside, she took a step back from the railing and nearly stopped breathing when her back collided with something. She quickly turned around to find Paul standing right behind her.

"Hey sweetheart." he smiled.

"How long have you been there?"

"You know," he began. "It's not safe for someone to be out here all alone, especially such a sweet girl like you."

"I'll try to remember that." she replied. "Do you know where Marko is?"

The smile that spread across his face as he motioned behind her sent a chill down her spine.

She looked over the railing to the bottom of the bluff and let her eyes wander along the shore. About half a mile down the beach, a group of boys were engaged in some sort of commotion but they were too far away for Angela to see what was actually going on.

"He's down there?"

Paul nodded. "Come on, I'll take you."

They walked over to his bike where she paused.

"Maybe I should let my family know I'm leaving."

"You're already out." he smirked. "Hop on."

She climbed onto the back of the bike, holding onto his waste lightly.

"Sorry sweetheart," he smiled. "You got to get a little closer than that."

She rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms around him allowing him to take off down the bluff.

A few minutes later Paul's bike came to a halt. As she hopped off, she recognized three other bikes parked near by but no sign of Marko or the others.

"Where are they?" Angela spoke up.

"The other side of that hill."

Just ahead of them was a small hill compiled mostly of hardened dirt and sand. Though relatively small, it was still large enough to block the view of the beach on the other side.

"You coming?" Paul was already half way up the hill.

Angela followed and upon reaching the top she became confused as to why there were only three men instead of the slightly larger group she saw from the bluff.

On the beach, David and Marko could be seen tossing a few objects into a small fire while Dwayne knelt at the water's edge rinsing his hands off.

"Hey Marko!" Paul called. "There's someone here for you."

They each stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to where Angela and Paul stood. It was too dark for Angela to notice the look Marko shot at David before running over to help her down the hill.

"Angie, what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you, I-" Angela noticed the disheveled appearance of Marko, causing her to notice that of Dwayne and David as well. "What happened to you?"

"What?"

"You're bleeding…you all are." she reached up to wipe his chin but was stopped by Marko who looked at Paul, anger in his eyes.

"It's nothing, we just got into a fight with some guys."

"With who, where did they go?" she asked concerned.

"Come on," he said avoiding her question. "Let's go for a walk."

"Yeah, sure."

As they began to walk away, Paul approached the remaining two.

"What the hell happened?"

"Marko knew she was coming." Dwayne said.

"Did she see anything?" David asked.

"From the restaurant." Paul replied. "But it was probably too far away to tell."

* * *

"Are you sure you're ok?" Angela asked as they walked along the beach.

Marko smiled. "You're really worried about me aren't you?"

"Whatever." she laughed. "I tried to find you this afternoon but you weren't around."

"Oh yeah?" he said uneasily. "What did you want to talk about anyways?"

"I ran into Star the other day and-"

Marko stopped walking as he interrupted her, "What did she say to you?"

"She told me to stay away from you." Angela said almost in a whisper looking towards the ground. When he didn't respond she looked up at him. "I was worried she told you the same thing so..."

"I'll take care of it." he said, his eyes cold.

Angela didn't like the tone of his voice. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just stay away from her. If it makes you feel better, I'll stay away from you too."

"What? No, that won't make me feel better." she began choking back tears. "Why are you acting like this?"

"It's what you want, right?" he yelled. "That's why you came here tonight."

"No," she started. "I came because I'm scared."

"Of what?" he asked coldly.

"Of the fact that I can't stop thinking about you."

When he didn't respond, she decided to head back to where the other boys stood, a single tear running down her face.

"Paul, can you take me back to the restaurant?" she said softly, never looking anyone in the face.

He dropped her off in the parking lot where Drew was waiting by himself on a bench near the entrance.

"Where are Jane and Al?"

"They went home," he stood up. "But lucky for us I have my car."

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I shouldn't of left like that."

"Hey, don't worry about it."

"Really, I don't know what I was thinking."

"You were thinking that as long as you're here, you're going to make the most of it." he winked at her.

Angela smiled. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I do." he smiled.

"What?"

"You'd be walking home right now." he punched her arm playfully. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

Having a hard time sleeping, Angela decided to go down to the kitchen for a midnight snack. Looking through the fridge, she finally decided on fresh strawberries.

After rinsing them off and placing them into a bowl, she sat at the kitchen table and began aimlessly flipping through the newspaper sitting in front of her.

Feeling satisfied a few strawberries later, she began rinsing the bowl out when there was a soft knock at the door. She looked at the clock which read '1:25am'.

"Who the hell could that be?" she said to herself.

She opened the door and was taken back by the blonde standing before her.

"Hey Angie." he said, noticing her strawberry-stained lips. He then looked down at her nightgown.

Suddenly feeling embarrassed, she crossed her arms in a poor attempt to hide her sleeping attire. "Marko, what are you doing here?"

"Can you come out for a minute?"

"Sure." she stepped outside, closing the door softly behind her. "So, what do you want?"

"I want to apologize about tonight." he replied. "I was mad and took it out on you, I'm sorry."

"So am I." she said quietly.

"I can't stop thinking about you either."

"That's not fair." she looked up at him.

"What?"

"How am I supposed to stay mad at you when you say things like that?" she smiled.

His face lit up. "Come on, I want to show you something."

"Now? It's 1:30 in the morning, can't it wait?"

"Trust me, you want to see this." Although he flaunted his famous wild grin, Angela thought there was a sort of sincerity in his eyes.

"Do I have time to change?" she asked returning a smile.

"Why? You look great in that!" he joked.

She rolled her eyes, "I'll be back in a minute, jerk."

Marko smiled wildly at her.

After deciding on jeans and a loose-fitting t-shirt that fell over her shoulder, Angela found herself walking through the field with Marko. "So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." he said with a smirk.

They came to his bike which was parked just off the shore.

Marko jumped on and looked at Angela, "You coming?"

She looked back towards the house, then at Marko who was watching her with hopeful eyes. She couldn't help but smile as she climbed onto the back of the bike and wrapped her arms around his waste.

She found this ride to be even more exciting than the first. She loved the feeling of the wind blowing through her hair, but loved the feeling of having this man in her arms even more.

Before she knew it, the bike came to a halt and Marko was hopping off. As he helped her to her feet, she looked ahead of them and saw their destination.

"I've seen lighthouses before Marko." she laughed.

"You ever been to the top of one?"

"You mean climb that thing? No thanks, it looks fine from down here."

"No, come on it's great I promise." he smiled and she couldn't say no.

She began climbing the ladder with Marko right behind her.

"Ok, now close your eyes." he said once they reached the top.

"What?"

"Just trust me."

She didn't know why, but she did trust him. She trusted him with her life.

"Ok." she said as she closed her eyes.

Marko stood behind her, placing his arms around her as he slowly led her to the other side of the lighthouse.

"Ok." he said. "You ready?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm ready."

He took her hands in his, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around her. "Open your eyes."

The view was stunning. The moon balanced perfectly above the sea, glowing a fiery red.

"Oh my…" she didn't know what to say. "Marko, it's amazing!"

"I thought you might like it. You want to sit down?"

They sat down on the ledge of the lighthouse, letting their legs hang over the edge.

"This place is amazing, Marko." she said looking out at the ocean.

"Yeah, I come here a lot."

"By yourself?"

"Yeah."

"What about your friends?"

"Sometimes it's nice to be alone," he shrugged. "Don't you ever need a break from your friends?"

She needed a break, but never from friends. She spent most of her free time under the watchful eye of her father, so anytime spent with someone her own age was a dream come true.

"Not at all." she looked down at her legs that were lightly swinging.

"What about your dad?" Marko caught her off guard.

"I guess…I don't know." she stumbled for words.

"Well have you ever thought about leaving home?"

"If by 'home' you mean my father's house where I happen to sleep, then yes. All the time." she laughed. "It's weird though, I've only been here a few days and I've never been so happy."

"I know how you feel." he replied, staring out at the ocean.

"Haven't you lived here for a long time?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah." he stated simply.

"Then how do you know how I feel?" she laughed.

He turned to her, "Because you've only been here a few days and I've never been so happy." he grinned.

"Smooth, real smooth." she laughed.

Marko grabbed her hand and she looked at him. "Thank you for bringing me here tonight." she smiled.

"You're the only person I'll ever bring."

She laughed even harder.

"Right, I'm sure you tell that to all the girls!"

"Yeah, you're right!" he joked, causing her to playfully shove him.

"It all makes sense now!" she laughed.

"What?"

"The reason I only see you at night."

His smile faded. "What do you mean?" he said a bit nervously.

"You don't want your girlfriends to see us, so we only hang out at night."

"Damn, you caught me." he let out a relieved laugh.

Although she was able to joke about it, Angela did find it odd that she never saw Marko during the day. She didn't feel it was a big deal, however, and decided to enjoy the time that she did have with him.

As much as Marko wanted to sit there with her forever, he knew that was impossible and that it was getting late.

"I guess I should get you back home now, huh?"

Angela nodded. "Yeah I guess so."

They silently made their way to Marko's bike, simply enjoying each other's company. The ride back was quicker than they would have liked, but the walk hand-in-hand across the field to her house prolonged their time together that much more.

Upon reaching the door Angela broke their silence, "Thanks again for taking me."

"Thanks for going with me."

"I should probably get inside, my uncle wakes up pretty early."

"Yeah, I should get back too. David hates it when he doesn't know where I'm at." he said with a laugh, though there was a serious tone to his voice.

"Well, goodnight."

"Good morning." he smiled.

She laughed and turned to go inside.

"Angie?" he stopped her.

"Yeah?" she turned around.

"I meant it when I said I can't stop thinking about you."

Angela said nothing, but simply stepped forward placing her hands on either side of his face and softly kissed his lips.

She looked at him one last time before disappearing into the house.

After quietly making it to her room, Angela decided she was too tired to change clothes. She tied her hair into a ponytail and removed her shoes before climbing into bed.

Just as she was getting comfortable, she heard a knock at the balcony door.

"It's probably the wind again." She tried to ignore it.

The knocking sounded again. She made her way to the door and was shocked to find Marko standing there when she opened it.

"Marko! What are you doing, how did you get up here?" she looked over the edge of the balcony expecting to see a ladder of some-sort, but saw nothing.

"I forgot something." he said ignoring her question.

"Wha-" Before she could get the word out, he grabbed her by the waist pulling her towards him and kissed her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. As hard as it was for him to pull away, Marko realized the sun would be rising soon.

"I should go." he said pressing his forehead against hers.

"Yeah."

He kissed her one last time before walking over to the railing.

"Wait, you're not going to jump are you?"

"I'll be fine." His signature smirk spread across his face. "Get some sleep."

Before she could respond, Marko leapt over the balcony. Angela leaned over the railing just in time to see him land smoothly on the ground.

He looked up, "I'll see you soon, beautiful."

Angela waved as she watched Marko vanish into the darkness.

**A/N: **I ended up adding a few things which forced me to change other stuff so this chapter didn't end up exactly how I planned it but hopefully you all still enjoyed it! I have a pretty stressful week coming up but I'm hoping for the next update to be next weekend, if not it will be soon after that. :)


	6. Life In a Bottle

**A/N: **Big big apology for taking so long to update! I've been pretty busy with school, but things are slowing down a bit so I can get back to this story.

Thank you soo much to **NejisDarkNymph**,** xxxxParvati-Patilxxxx**, **southernvampirepirate**, **Horror Goddess**, **Peya Luna**, **Artemis-moongoddes89**, **TheLonelyWinterQueen**, **TheFirstEverLostGirl1987**, **Nalani**, **TheEmeraldDragoness**, **josie1993**, **TheMoonlightEcho**, **Sarah Jackson-The Other**, and **LiViNgThEoBsEsSiOn** for the reviews!

Marko returned to the cave to find David, Paul, and Dwayne waiting for him.

David was the first to confront him, "Are you immune to sunlight now, or are you just stupid?"

"I know what I'm doing." Marko replied.

"That girl's getting in your head, man." Paul stated.

"Don't even Paul, I should kill you for that stunt you pulled tonight."

"She'll find out sooner or later." Dwayne said.

"Trust me, Marko." David placed a hand on Marko's shoulder. "It will be a lot easier if you just cut her off now."

"Why is that?" Marko shrugged his hand away. "Because you were wrong about Star?" He started to walk away.

"Maybe I deserve that," David began. "But we all know she'll end up the same way. Forget about her."

"She's nothing like Star." Marko stopped.

"Maybe not right now," Paul started. "But as soon as she finds out what you really are it will be a different story."

"And by then it will be too late." Dwayne added.

"Too late?" Marko stepped to Dwayne. "Any of you lay a finger on her and I'll kill you!"

"Not for her," Dwayne replied. "For you."

"You're killing yourself, Marko." David added.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Coming in just before sunrise, barely eating." David stated.

"You've been pulling away from us since you met her." Dwayne said.

"Look," Marko sighed. "Nothing's gonna happen alright? Trust me." He walked off.

"So now what?" Dwayne asked.

"I'm not taking any chances." David stated. "If we can't get through to him we'll just have to take care of her."

Aware the sun would be rising, the boys went off to sleep. In the corner of the cave, Star lie awake next to a sleeping Laddie not knowing what to make of the conversation she'd just heard.

* * *

Nothing could wipe the smile from Angela's face the next afternoon. The cloudy sky indicated that a storm was coming, but to her the world had never been brighter.

While the weather kept the day uneventful, the family decided it would be a perfect night to stay in and watch movies together. As dusk fell, they compiled a small list of films and soon Angela and Al were on their way to the boardwalk.

"You know what," Al stopped once they reached the store. "I forgot the list in the car."

"Not a problem, I'll go get it."

"Thanks."

Al continued inside as she headed back to the car. After getting the list she made her way back to the store, but just before opening the door a small gust of wind knocked the paper from her hand.

She followed the paper to the side of the building, where she was able to grab it just before it rolled under a car.

As she stood up, she was shocked to see David standing in the parking lot speaking with the owner of the video store. Though they weren't standing very far away, she couldn't hear exactly what they were saying.

She decided to go back inside but before she could get her feet to move, both men spotted her.

Max said something to David before walking over to her, David disappearing behind the building.

"Hello Angela," he said as he approached her. "It's nice to see you again."

"Hi, Max." she smiled.

"What are you doing back here?" He asked. "There's a storm coming you know."

"I know, I um, the wind got my paper and then I saw you with-"

"I was telling him to stay away from my store." he interrupted coldly.

"Right." she whispered.

The smile returned to his face. "So, what's that paper for anyways?"

"Oh, it's a list of movies my uncle wanted to rent."

"Well how about I take that and get the movies for you?"

"Sure, thanks."

They went into the store where Angela and Al waited at the front counter while an employee got their videos. A few minutes later they headed out to the car where Al handed her the bag.

"Do you mind waiting by the car, I have to go run some things to a friend a couple stores down." Al said.

"Not at all." she replied setting the bag in the car.

"Great. I'll be right back." he walked off.

She crossed her arms, feeling the wind picking up. She looked to the sky disappointed that the clouds were blocking the stars.

"Hey." Marko grabbed her from behind, causing her to jump.

"Don't do that!" She laughed.

"Sorry." he smiled. "What are you doing out here?"

"Waiting for my uncle, what are _you _doing out here?"

"I came to see you."

"Well that's sweet, but I can't hang out tonight." she stuck her bottom lip out.

"Why not?" he ran his thumb over her lips.

"I'm staying in with my family tonight."

"Well as long as you're not ditching me for another guy." he smirked.

"Whatever." She laughed. "Hey, my uncles coming but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright," He kissed her. "See you later."

"Bye." She smiled.

Almost as quickly as Marko disappeared, her uncle was back at the car.

They arrived home to find Jane and Drew preparing dinner. After they ate they settled into the living room where they enjoyed a night of watching movies.

"How about one more?" Drew asked as the last film finished.

"Actually, it's getting pretty late." Angela stood up. "I think I'm going to put some laundry away and get to bed."

"She's right," Jane agreed. "We can finish the rest another night."

After exchanging 'good night's' Angela made her way to her room where she took a quick shower then began folding her laundry. As she was putting the last of her clothes away there was a knock at the balcony door. She smiled as she threw the door open, expecting Marko to be standing there. Instead, the sight before her nearly stopped her heart.

"Hello, Angie." the blonde said.

"David." She stepped back. "What are you doing here?"

"If you want to see Marko again I suggest you come with me."

* * *

It wasn't long until Angela entered the cave behind David.

"Where is everyone?" She asked.

"They'll be here." He replied. "Have a seat."

She sat on the ledge of the fountain, never taking her eyes off David.

Although it was David she sat in the cave with, the warning Star gave her about Marko suddenly clouded her mind.

"You and I have something in common, Angie." David broke her from her thoughts. "Do you know what that is?"

She nodded. "Marko."

"That's right. And neither of us would want anything to happen to him, correct?"

"What are you talking about?" she stood up. "What's going on, where is he?"

"Calm down, he's fine." He turned around. "For now."

Angela grabbed his arm, spinning him around coming face to face with her.

"Look, I know you don't really know me, I'm not even sure if you really like me," she stared into his cold eyes. "But there's a reason you brought me here, so please, tell me what's going on."

David stared at her intensely, as if he was attempting to read her. At that moment she noticed just how strong a grip she had on his arm and quickly pulled away.

"Sorry." she whispered.

As she sat back on the fountain ledge, David disappeared across the cave, returning swiftly with a silver bottle in hand.

"Do you know what this is?" he held up the bottle.

"No."

"This is going to help us save Marko." he pulled the cap off the bottle, taking the scent of the red liquid in.

"I don't…you're not making any sense."

He took a sip from the bottle, closing his eyes to completely take in the taste.

"It will make sense later, but for now you have to trust me." he held out the bottle to her. "For Marko's sake."

"How would drinking, whatever that is, help him?" She stood up. "You know what, I'm just going to go home."

David stopped her as she made her way across the cave. "What about Star?"

"What about her?" She slowly turned around to face David.

"You're not worried about her?" His eyes contained a strange sense of amusement, almost as if he was laughing at her inside.

"Why would I be worried about Star?"

"I know she told you to stay away from Marko, Angie." He stepped closer. "She doesn't want you to be together."

He held the bottle out to Angela, and she slowly took it from his hands her eyes never breaking from his.

Her thoughts seemed to race a mile a minute, preventing her from noticing the bottle piercing her lips.

"Angie!" Marko's voice rang through the cave as the red liquid slid down her throat.

She turned around to face him just as he knocked the bottle from her hands.

"Tell me you didn't drink that!" He grabbed her face.

"It's ok!" she exclaimed. "We're going to help you!"

"What are you talking about?" He asked full of anger. "Why did you drink that?"

"Because David-" she stopped suddenly at the sight of Star entering the cave. Her eyes shifted from Star to an amused David, back to a worried Marko.

She then looked down at the bottle, the red liquid spilled on the ground. "What the hell did I just do?"

"It's better this way, Marko." David said, Paul and Dwayne now beside him.

Angela walked to the fountain in a daze, not understanding what just happened. Star went over and helped her to sit down.

"I don't know what happened." Angela said. "It was like he was-"

"Like he was controlling you." Star whispered.

"He did the same thing to you."

Star nodded, avoiding eye contact.

"What was in that bottle, Star?"

"Oh Angie," she said softly. "I'm so sorry."


	7. Reactions

**A/N: **Big thank you to **xXx Tinkies xXx**, **southernvampirepirate**, **Nalani**, **LiViNgThEoBsEsSiOn**, **Peya Luna**, **Emzy2k11**, **Artemis-moongoddess89**, **xxxxParvati-Patilxxxx**, **CarvedKid**, **Horror Goddess**, and **SunlitMercy** for the reviews on the last chapter! 

"Have you seen Angela at all today?" Jane asked as she unpacked groceries in the kitchen.

"No." Drew answered. "I think she's still sleeping."

"So late? Why don't you go wake her so she can eat."

Angela woke to the sound of footsteps on the stairs. She had no memory of how she got home, but the events of the previous night were all too present in her mind.

There was a knock at the door followed by Drew.

"Rise and shine Ange!" He said as he threw the window curtains open, letting in a flood of sunlight.

Angela quickly pulled a blanket over her face in an attempt to block the rays.

"Come on Drew, all that light's hurting my eyes, close it!"

Drew laughed. "Well maybe you should get up before three in the afternoon."

"Its 3 o'clock!"

"Yeah. Get up and come eat." He said as he left the room.

She quickly closed the curtains but it still wasn't enough to block out all the light. She grabbed her sunglasses and, assuming she just had a migraine, grabbed some aspirin before heading to the kitchen.

"What's with the shades?" Drew asked as she sat down.

"Nothing, it's really bright in here."

"It is not!" He laughed as he snatched the glasses from her face.

"Hey give it back!"

"Stop it you two." Jane set a plate of food in front of her. "Here, you must be hungry."

"I'm starving." Angela replied. She had never felt so hungry.

"Are you feeling ok sweetie?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, why?" Angela replied.

"You just look a little worn out, is all." Jane said. "Well, when you're finished you can help me in the yard, those flowers you planted are coming in nicely!"

"Great, I'll be out in a few." Angela yawned.

Angela and Jane had been working in the garden for a few hours when Al got home.

"It's looking great out here, ladies." Al said as he kissed Jane.

"Thanks honey," Jane said. "Hey Angela, how about we take a break? We still have a couple of those movies left."

"Sounds great," She looked up from the pot she was holding. "I just want to get this last plant in, I can't get it out of the pot though."

Just as she turned the pot upside down in an attempt to shake the plant out, the pot broke lodging a piece of the ceramic into her hand.

"Angela are you ok?" Jane said as she ran over to her.

"Yeah, it's fine." She winced at the stinging sensation.

"Here," Al took her hand." "We have to pull this out. Ready?"

"Just do it fast." Angela looked away.

It was surprisingly painless, and instead of causing her to become squeamish, the blood reminded her of how hungry she still was.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Jane asked wrapping a small cloth around her hand.

"Yeah, I'll be alright."

* * *

The next couple of days seemed to pass slowly, and Angela found that no matter how much she ate, she never seemed to be satisfied. She continued to take aspirin in hopes that her headaches would go away.

After not hearing from Marko for a while, Angela decided she would go to him.

"Where are you going?" Jane stopped her at the door.

"I'm just going out for a while." She replied.

"Sweetie, I really think you should stay in tonight."

"Why? I haven't gone out for a while." Angela said. "Besides, I won't be out long."

"You haven't been feeling very well," Jane stated. "I think you need some more rest."

"I feel fine."

"Angela, have you seen yourself lately?" Jane stared at her. "You look like a ghost."

Angela turned to the hall mirror and took in her pale reflection.

"Please," Jane pleaded. "Stay in tonight and if you're feeling better tomorrow than you can go out."

"Alright." Angela smiled and made her way back upstairs.

Angela stared at the ceiling, restless. The clock read 10:23pm and she was no closer to sleep than she was a few hours ago. She decided that, as long as no one knew, going out for a while would be harmless.

As she grabbed clothes to change into, the bandage on her hand fell off causing her to pause. She ran her fingers over the spot where the wound once was. She found it extremely odd that there was no sign of an injury at all, not even a scar.

She quietly got dressed and slipped out of her room, careful not to make any noise.

She made it half way down the staircase but stopped suddenly when she noticed light from the television glaring from the living room.

"They're still up." She thought and quietly made her way back to her room.

She sighed as she sat on her bed and decided that she would have to stay in after all, but before she could get undressed she found herself staring at the balcony door.

She slowly stepped out onto the balcony and over to the railing, questioning herself as to why she was even considering this as an option.

She looked over the railing, down to the yard below. The vision of Marko leaping easily to the ground ran through her mind several times before deciding she could do it herself.

She closed the balcony door softly and returned to the railing, taking a deep breath as she placed her hands on it firmly.

"Now or never." She thought as she lifted herself up and over the railing, landing swiftly on the ground.

* * *

As usual, the boardwalk was crowded with hundreds of people she would have to search through in hopes of finding Marko. She didn't know why, but she rushed passed the comic shop in order to avoid the Frog brothers.

When her search seemed to be going nowhere, Angela stopped to take a break on the large staircase leading to the boardwalk. A few moments later she decided to head home but was interrupted by a voice behind her.

"Well look who it is." Angela turned to find Paul and Dwayne walking down the staircase.

"Hey sweetheart." Paul smirked.

"Where's Marko?"

"With David." Dwayne said.

"Of coarse he is." She turned to walk away.

"Hey wait," Paul stopped her. "Stay with us."

"No, I should go home." She replied. "I don't know why I'm even out here."

"Come on," Paul started. "Hang out with us for a while and we'll help you find Marko."

"We don't bite." Dwayne smiled.

She hesitated and finally shrugged. "Why not?"

"That a girl!" Paul exclaimed as they made their way back to the boardwalk.

"So," Angela began. "Is anyone ever going to tell me what happened the other night?"

Paul and Dwayne exchanged looks.

"What do you mean?" Dwayne asked.

"Don't play dumb, guys." She replied. "What was that?"

"Let's not focus on the past, Ange." Paul said. "Just have fun." He smirked.

"So you're not going to tell me?" She asked as the boys just smiled at her. "Alright then, forget about it. Show me how you have fun."

"You really want to see how we have fun?" Dwayne smiled.

"Absolutely."

They made their way to their bikes where Angela climbed on behind Paul.

"Hold on tight, sweetheart." He said before taking off.

Before long, they stopped near a bridge along a set of train tracks.

"You know," Paul said as they hopped off the bike. "This is Marko's favorite place."

Angela couldn't help but smile, as she knew this wasn't true. She held on tight to the memory of being at the lighthouse with Marko.

"Really?" She amused him. "I had no idea."

"Yeah," Dwayne started as they made their way to the middle of the bridge. "And this is one of his favorite things to do, too."

Before she could say anything Dwayne disappeared, seeming to drop right off the side of the bridge.

"Oh my-where did he go?" She turned to Paul.

"Come find out." He smiled before jumping over himself.

"You guys this isn't funny!" She yelled over the edge, seeing nothing but darkness as she looked down.

"Come on Angie." Dwayne's voice called up.

She brought herself to her knees and leaned over far enough to find the two dangling under the bridge.

"Get down here Angie!" Paul laughed.

"How the hell did you guys do that?"

"You better get down here before you get hit." Dwayne said.

"Hit by what?"

The vibrations of the train tracks were all the answer she needed. She looked to her right and saw the faint light of a train approaching.

"Alright guys, you can get back up here now!" She called.

"Stop screwing around Ange, get down here!" Paul laughed.

She looked back to the train that was quickly becoming closer.

"I can't!" She yelled. "I can't hold myself up like that!"

"You're a lot stronger than you think, come on!" Dwayne yelled.

She took one last look at the train that was too close for comfort and pulled herself under the bridge holding tightly to the railings underneath. She looked at the amused faces of the boys and then above her just in time to see the passing train.

She could feel her grip beginning to loosen and knew she would fall soon. At first, all she could do was scream, but without realizing it herself, her screams turned into laughter. She regained her grip and closed her eyes to take in the air that was pushing all around her.

She opened her eyes to see that Paul was saying something, but couldn't hear over the sound of the train.

"What?" She yelled.

"Let go." She heard his voice, although she wasn't sure his mouth moved.

It was then that she realized Dwayne was no longer there.

The train finally passed, allowing silence to be restored.

"Where did he go?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Let go." This time she was sure his mouth didn't move. She heard him in her head.

She looked into his eyes and felt a sense of trust. Without saying a word she released her grip on the bar and allowed herself to fall.

Dwayne and Paul were already waiting for her with their bikes when she landed swiftly on the ground. She examined her body in disbelief that she could not only survive such a fall, but survive it without so much as a scratch.

She looked to faces of the two boys who seemed to be waiting for her reaction.

"I don't know what just happened," She began. "But that was the most amazing thing I've ever done!"

Paul looked to Dwayne in disbelief.

"Oh yeah?" Dwayne said. "How about you drive back to the cave?"

* * *

"You sure you never drove a motorcycle before?" Paul asked as they entered the cave.

"Never!" She exclaimed.

"We might have to get you one then." Dwayne said.

"I wish." She laughed. "Seriously guys, I've never felt more alive!"

"I disagree." David's voice echoed through the cave.

Angela refused to let her eyes fall to the ground. "Why is that?" She asked looking him in the eyes.

David said nothing but simply grinned as he walked passed her.

"I have to go." She said quietly as she turned to leave.

"I'll give you a ride." Dwayne said.

"No, it's ok." Angela said. "I'll be alright."

Just as she was leaving the cave, Marko entered.

"Angie, what are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you, where have you been?"

"It's a long story," He began. "And I promise I'll explain it all later but I have to get you home." He took her outside and hopped on his bike.

"Wait a minute," She stood in front of him. "Don't you think I deserve a little explanation by now?"

"I'm only trying to protect you." Marko stated.

"Protect me from what?"

"You trust me, right?" He asked.

"You know I do." She said softly.

"Then believe me, I will explain everything when the time is right ok?" He pulled her close to him.

"Ok." She sighed.

He smiled as he kissed her. "Come on, let's get you home."

Back in the cave, Paul and Dwayne approached David.

"How's our little friend doing, boys?" David smirked.

Paul and Dwayne looked at each other before Paul finally spoke.

"I think we should keep her around."

"Excuse me?" David asked.

"I think Marko was right." Paul replied. "She's nothing like Star."

"Not yet," David said. "Not until she's sees what we really are."

"And what she is," Paul said. "Thanks to you."

"This isn't just about Marko anymore and you know it." Dwayne said.

"She can protect all of us, David." Paul added. "And Max."

* * *

Marko's bike stopped at the shore, allowing them to walk across the field to her house. They made their way to the backyard where Angela stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Marko asked.

"My bedroom light is on." She said quietly.

"Well maybe you just forgot to turn it off."

"No." She shook her head. "I know I turned it off, damn it they know I left now."

"Maybe not." He attempted to reassure her. "Maybe it's just Drew looking for something."

"Yeah maybe." She sighed. "I guess I better go find out."

"Alright," He kissed her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She smiled. "Ok."

She quietly made her way into the house, smiling as the night replayed in her mind. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the lights in the hall were on.

"I don't know where she could be." Jane's voice echoed through the hall breaking Angela from her thoughts.

Just as she approached the living room, Jane stepped out into the hallway.

"There you are!" She exclaimed. "We've been worried sick!"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snuck out like that and I will never ever do it again," The words were racing out of her mouth. "But please, don't call my-"

Richard stepped into the hallway, anger smeared on his face.

"Dad."


	8. Dark Light

**A/N: **2 chapters in less than 24 hours, Woo hoo! Ok, this one is kind of short but I'm still happy I got 2 out so I can continue! Hope you all are still enjoying, if you haven't read chapter 7 yet please do!

"What are you doing here?" Angela asked her father in disbelief.

""You don't get to ask the questions." Richard replied. "I can't believe this!"

"Believe what?" Angela asked. "Nothing happened, Dad."

"No? Then why am I here at 3 in the morning?"

"I don't know." She looked to the floor.

"Angela, I called your father." Jane spoke. "We were really worried about you."

"I've gone out by myself plenty of times, I don't-"

"It's not just tonight." Al stepped in. "You haven't seemed like yourself for a while."

"We just wanted your father to know what was going on." Jane added.

"But there's nothing going on!"

"Obviously there is," Richard began. "But now is not the time to discuss it."

"But Dad-"

"I don't want to hear it," Richard interrupted. "You want to stay out all night, you won't mind staying up to pack your things."

"What?"

"We're leaving first thing in the morning."

"Now Rich," Jane spoke up. "This is really nothing we can't all sit down and deal with."

"Your flight is already booked." Richard ignored her.

"My flight?" Angela asked. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going home." Richard glared at her. "You're going away, where you can think about what you've done."

"For what, the rest of the summer?"

"Until you get your act together."

"Richard," Al began. "I think you may be over-"

"Don't tell me how to raise my own child." He looked back to Angela. "I suggest you start getting your things together."

Angela looked to her aunt and uncle, aware that there was nothing they could say or do. She cried softly as she made her way up to her room where she began packing her belongings.

* * *

Later that morning, Angela awoke to the sound of the telephone ringing. When it went unanswered, she decided her family must still be sleeping and that it would be harmless to answer it.

She tip-toed quietly down the stairs and saw her father sleeping on the couch. She grabbed the phone and brought it into the hall closet, closing the door softly behind her.

"Hello?" She answered quietly.

"Angela, it's us." Edgar said.

"Oh, hey guys." She began. "Look, I can't really talk right now-"

"We need you to come to the shop right away." Alan interrupted.

"I can't, I-"

"It's about that girl." Edgar said.

She forgot that she had ever asked them to investigate Star.

"There are others, you know." Alan chimed in.

"Yeah I know," She began. "I mean, I'll be there as soon as I can ok?"

"Hurry."

Angela quietly made her way back upstairs. Against her better judgment, she decided the balcony would serve as her exit once again.

She quickly changed her clothes and threw on a pair of sunglasses before leaping to the backyard, even smoother than she had the night before.

The Frogs met her at the entrance when she approached the small shop.

"Look," Angela began as they made their way to a back room. "I don't have a lot of time, so whatever it is-"

"They're vampires!" Alan spat out.

"Way to break it to her easy." Edgar hit him in the arm.

"W-what?" Angela nearly fell over.

"They're vampires, Angela." Edgar stated. "All of them."

"Even the little guy," Alan added. "I suspect he's the worst."

"Do you have any idea how insane you both sound?"

"You think we're insane?" Edgar asked. "When's the last time you saw any of them during the day?"

"Well," Angela had no answer. "They're busy."

"Right." Alan said. "And what about their pale skin?"

"There's almost no color to it at all." Edgar added.

Angela flashed back to the day she met the guys, and how cold Paul's hand was.

"So they don't like the sun." Angela was lying to herself. "That explains why they're never out during the day."

"They hate the sun but live in Santa Carla?" Alan asked. "I don't think so."

"Explain their clothes then." Edgar said.

"Their clothes?" Angela refused to allow herself to believe them. "Look at what you two run around in."

"At least our clothes were made this century." Edgar said.

Angela's mind raced with thoughts of Marko and the others. As crazy as the Frog brothers seemed, they were right. She had never seen them out during the day. Their skin was extremely pale, and had they been living anywhere else their clothes would have raised eyebrows a long time ago.

While all of this was true of the boys, and of Star, Angela stopped when she was hit by the realization that these things were becoming true of her as well. She felt sick all the time, and could only sleep during the day. She flashed back to her reflection the night Jane pointed out how ill she looked.

She then flashed back to the night Paul brought her to the beach, and the blood that stained each of they boy's faces. Then came the vision of the silver bottle, and the red liquid it contained.

"I don't believe it." Angela didn't realize she had spoken aloud.

"Well believe it." Alan said breaking her from her thoughts.

"So what's our next move?" Edgar asked.

"Next move?"

"We hunt." Alan stated plainly.

"No!" Angela exclaimed, she realized they would be hunting to kill, and that included Marko. "I'll prove to you that they're not vampires."

"How?" Alan asked.

She didn't know. Deep down she knew that everything being said was true, she just refused to let herself believe it.

"I'll take you to them." She wished she could take back the statement the second it escaped her mouth.

"You will?" Edgar asked. "Alright Alan, we need to get our supplies and-"

"No, no supplies guys!" Angela regretted the idea. "They won't be necessary anyways."

"What if you're wrong?" Alan asked. "As I suspect you are, then what?"

"I'm not wrong." She continued to lie to herself. "We'll take a quick trip, and as soon as you guys see that I'm right we can forget about all of this."

"I don't think so," Edgar began. "There's no way we're going to a vampire lair without any weapons."

"It's not a vampire lair!" Angela almost choked on the words. "Besides, if you don't do it my way then I'm not paying you a dime for your services."

Alan and Edgar exchanged glances.

"Deal!" They said in unison.

* * *

"I don't like this," Alan began as they entered the cave. "Not one bit."

"Just be quiet." Edgar whispered.

Angela prayed that no one was in the cave with them, although she secretly knew they weren't alone.

"See guys," She began. "How could vampires live here with all of this light coming from outside?"

"Maybe they have a secret sleeping place." Alan responded softly.

As the boys began to look around, Angela noticed the bed in the corner of the room and suddenly realized that Star and Laddie were sleeping there.

"Hey guys," Angela attempted to distract them. "Why don't you go look over there and I'll take that side of the room?" She pointed them away from the bed.

"Right." Edgar said as he motioned for Alan to follow.

As they made their way to the other side of the room, Angela quickly went over to the bed where she found Laddie and Star sleeping. She covered them softly with a blanket to keep them from being spotted by the boys.

As she stepped away from the bed, she noticed a small passage in the corner of the room that she had never noticed before. She looked back to make sure the boys were occupied before sneaking quietly away.

She followed the small passage a short way before turning a corner into a tiny den-like area of the cave. It was much darker, with little light escaping into the room. At first glance, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. She decided to head back out when she slipped on a small rock. As she pulled herself off the floor, she glanced up towards the ceiling and had to keep herself from screaming at the sight.

Hanging above her were Marko, Paul, Dwayne, and David. Though she recognized their forms, which were hanging upside down, she didn't recognize their faces.

Her eyes made their way up to their feet which resembled claws as they held onto the ceiling. She brought her hands to her mouth as she now knew the truth: they were vampires.

"Alright, let's go guys." Angela rushed back into the cave.

"Wait," Alan said. "We haven't found them yet."

"That's because they're not here." She spoke quickly. "And if they're not here, they're out there and there's sunlight out there so they can't be vampires, let's go!"

"What's the rush, Angela?" Edgar looked suspicious.

"No rush." She knew she looked nervous. "Look, I stuck to my end of the deal, now you guys have to stick to yours-we leave and forget about all of this."

* * *

Angela didn't bother to sneak into the house when she returned. She entered the front door to find her father, as well as Jane and Al, waiting for her.

"I can't believe you." Richard said coldly.

"I'm sorry." Was all she could think to say.

"Sorry?" Richard yelled. "You've been nothing but trouble for your family, you snuck out again, you missed your flight, and you made me come all the way out here and you're sorry?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'm sorry." She said softly.

"Not as sorry as you're going to be." Richard began to walk away.

With those words, Angela felt a sense of anger she had never felt in her life. As if someone else had taken control of her, she finally spoke up to her father.

"Yeah Dad," She began. "I'm sorry that I made you come all the way out here, dragging you away from your precious time at work. I'm sorry that I tried to have a life this summer, without you or one of your little assistance holding my hand the entire time. And I am so sorry that I've been a huge inconvenience to you ever since Mom died. But you're right, I'm sure I can be much more sorry than I already am."

She looked at her father, expecting him to explode with anger, but he didn't. The house fell silent until Richard turned and walked out of the house, the door slamming behind him.

Angela looked at her stunned aunt and uncle. "I'm sorry." She whispered.


	9. If It's True

**A/N: **Thank you soo much to **xXx Tinkies xXx**, **pinkstar****fox,**** Artemis-moongoddess89, ****southernvampirepirate****, PeyaLuna,** and** kittykat6625 **for the reviews on the last two chapters!

"I can't get a hold of him." Jane said as she entered the kitchen.

"Well we can't wait much longer," Al began. "Drew's game starts soon."

It had been several hours since Angela's confrontation with her father.

"So, should I just wait here or-" Angela began.

"Of coarse not, you'll come with us." Jane sat down next to her. "I know how upset you must be, but you're father is having a hard time lately. His little girl is growing up." She smiled.

"He just needs some time to cool off." Al added. "I'm sure he'll meet us at the game and everything will be fine."

"I hope so." Angela sighed.

* * *

Later that night, Angela paced her room unable to sleep. With her father still missing, and her recent discovery of the boys, her mind was left spinning.

She took a shower to pass the time, but afterwards, she was back where she started. After a failed attempt at sleeping, she headed down to the kitchen knowing that none of the food in the house would make the pain in her stomach go away.

As she stared aimlessly into the fridge, she was brought to her knees by an intense pain that radiated throughout her entire body. Once she regained her strength, she decided it was time to find Marko to find out exactly what was happening to her.

* * *

"Hello?" She called as she entered the cave. "Is anyone here?"

"Hi Angie!" Laddie ran to her.

"Laddie," Angela smiled. "Where is everyone?"

"I don't know." He replied.

"Laddie go to the back and play." Star entered the room. "Angie, what's wrong?"

"What's happening to me?" She already knew the answer.

"Angie listen to me," Star approached her. "You can fight this, just like Laddie and me."

"So you're not a full-" She couldn't bring herself to say the word.

"No." Star understood.

"This is what you were warning me about," Angela suddenly realized. "It wasn't Marko, it was David."

"I never wanted to keep you away from Marko." Star explained. "He really does love you, Angie."

Angela couldn't help but smile at her words. "So what do we do now?"

Before Star could respond, Marko entered the cave with a troubled look on his face.

Upon seeing Angela he only whispered, "I'm so sorry, Angie."

Before she could say a word Paul, Dwayne, and David walked in dragging Richard with them.

"Dad?" Angela stepped toward the group.

"I wouldn't get too close, Angela." Max entered behind them stopping Angela in her tracks.

"Max." She said softly. "What's going on?"

"You mean you don't know?" Max asked, almost mocking her.

The boys released Richard although he maintained his position on the ground.

"Angela, what are you doing here?" Richard asked.

"I was looking for-"

"That's not important," Max began. "What is important is we're all here now." A sick smile spread across his face. "I thought you were better than this, Richard. You've been doing this for 14 years and yet you fell into my little trap so easily."

"Doing what for 14 years?" Angela spoke.

"You mean you don't know?" Max asked sarcastically.

"Stop it." Richard said.

"Rich, I'm appalled." Max shook his head. "Your own daughter doesn't know what you do?"

"Stop it!" Richard attempted to jump up, but was knocked back down by the boys.

"Do you want to tell her?" Max said amused. "Because I would be more than happy to."

"What is he talking about?" Angela asked her father.

"Your father's a vampire hunter, Angela." Max smiled.

"A what?" She looked to her father.

"Do I really have to explain everything?" Max was annoyed. "You're fath-"

"Angela listen to me." Richard cut him off. "I never wanted you to find any of this out."

"So it's true, you're a-"

"Yes. I devoted my life to killing vampires after-" He choked on the words. "After you're mother was killed by one."

Angela stared at her father silently in shock, unaware that Star was gripping her hand in support.

"That's also the reason I've been so protective of you, Angela. I refused to lose you too."

"That's touching Rich," Max said. "Really. But I think you and I both know that's not completely the truth."

"Don't do this to me Max," Richard pleaded. "You got what you wanted, you caught me. Now just stop it!"

"Why didn't you just kill the one who killed mom?" Angela's voice cut through the room. "Why hunt them all?"

Richard sighed. "I was going to tell you when I thought you could handle it." He avoided eye contact.

"Tell me what?"

"Well don't keep us in suspense, Rich." Max said amused. "Tell us all how Angela's beloved mother really died."

"I." He whispered hesitantly. "I killed her. It was an accident."

Angela brought her hand to her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. "What-"

"You're mother adored you Angela, don't ever forget that." Richard began. "But she wasn't in love with me anymore, not after she met him."

"Met who?" She fought back tears.

"Me." Max said, his face no longer showing any sign of amusement.

"I don't understand."

"You're father couldn't handle it when you're mother decided to leave him, for me." Max explained. "But when he came after me you're mother threw herself between us, he stabbed her instead of me."

"I didn't mean to kill her Angela, I loved her." Richard choked back tears.

Angela sank slowly to the floor, Star kneeling beside her. As she began to softly sob, Marko appeared beside her in support.

"But wait," Angela began. "If he didn't kill Mom, why go after vampires all these years?"

"Because I couldn't stand the thought of losing you to one too." Richard said. "I've dedicated my life to killing this scum and I won't stop until they're all dead."

Richard broke free of the boy's grip and started to throw himself at Max until Angela's voice stopped the room.

"Stop it!" She stood up. "If that's true, then you'll have to kill me too."

"What are you talking about?" Richard asked.

"My revenge, Richard." Max said coldly. "You weren't the only one who loved Laura. You took her away from me and I wasn't going to let you get away with that."

"So you turned my daughter into a-" He couldn't say the word.

"I didn't plan that." Max said. "I wanted you dead, but once I met Angela I realized there was a better way to hurt you."

Now it was Richard that was sinking to the floor.

"It worked out almost too perfectly." Max began. "I sent some associates to Colorado in order to trick you into thinking I was closer to home. I knew how overprotective of Angela you are so I hoped you would send her away, I didn't think you'd send her straight here though which made my job so much easier. You see, Richard, you're wife wasn't the only one who couldn't resist the charm of a vampire." He looked toward Angela and Marko. "Of coarse, I didn't plan for that to happen but it added to my amusement." He continued. "But my dear boy David became worried about Marko when he began spending too much time with Angela. So I convinced him to turn her into a vampire as well."

"What?" Marko turned to David.

"I did it to help you." David responded, a look of disgust on his face. He realized he had been used, and had used Angela in return. "I didn't know-"

"It's true, Marko." Max cut him off. "I convinced David that it would make you happy to have your girlfriend turned into a vampire. What I didn't tell him was that the real reason I had him turn her was so that she would become sick. Naturally, Richard would find out about it and rush to her side to find that, not only did he drive his only daughter into the arms of a vampire, but he turned her into one as well. I win, Rich."


	10. No Turning Back

**A/N:** Another quick update, woohoo! Hope you all are still enjoying. I added chapter 9 last night so if you haven't read that yet please do!

"You know Richard," Max began. "That pathetic look on your face, that sick feeling you have right now, you'll have that for the rest of your life and that makes me more than happy."

He made his way from the small group, towards the entrance of the cave.

"It's been a pleasure, Angela." He continued. "I trust you boys will take care of him." He said as he disappeared.

"I have to sit down." Angela said, her head spinning.

Star and Marko lead her to the fountain where she slowly sat down.

"I don't believe it." She said dazed.

"Angie, you're not a full vampire yet." Star knelt in front of her. "It can still be reversed."

Angela knew exactly what Star meant. With the knowledge she gained from the Frog brothers, she knew the only way to turn herself back would be to kill the head vampire.

"No it can't." Angela looked up. "Not without killing Max, and there's no way we can do that."

"I'll figure out someway to turn you back," Marko said. "I promise."

Angela shook her head. "I don't want to go back."

"You don't know what you're saying," Star said. "You're just in shock."

"I know exactly what I'm saying." Angela stood up and walked over to her father.

"How could I let this happen?" Richard said, pulling himself off the floor.

"It's not your fault, Dad."

"It's all my fault, Ange." He began. "If I hadn't sent you here then-"

"Then you'd still be keeping secrets from me."

"I'm so sorry." Was all he could say.

"I'm not." Angela said. "I'm glad you were finally honest with me, because now I can be honest with you too."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm happy Dad." She took a deep breath. "I want to stay here, like this."

"Wait a minute," David spoke. "This is my fault, I-"

"No." Angela stopped him. "I'm glad you did it. And I know you weren't trying to hurt anyone."

She looked to Marko as she grabbed his hand.

"Dad, if you never sent me here I never would have met Marko." She looked at David. "And if you hadn't-" She smiled. "Well, I never would have realized who I really am."

"What are you saying?" Richard asked.

"I want to stay here." She looked to the boys. "If it's alright with you guys."

Paul and Dwayne stood silent, smiles slowing taking over their faces.

"Even if I could go back without killing Max," Angela looked to Marko. "I wouldn't."

"Angie, think about what you're doing." Star pleaded. "You can still be together without being-"

"Are you sure this is what you really want?" Richard asked.

"I'm sure." She said confidently. "I can't stay with you forever Dad."

Richard managed a small smile through his tears. "I know that, kiddo."

"Besides," She added. "I don't think there's a safer place for me to be."

"What about Max?"

"We shouldn't have to worry about him." Marko said. "I mean, he seemed pretty proud of everything that happened here."

"Yeah," David added. "As long as he believes you're still suffering we shouldn't have a problem."

"Right." Richard responded. "And look boys, I won't-"

"We know." David said in understanding.

Richard pulled his daughter into a hug. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive, Dad."

"Alright," He began. "But if you ever want to come home-"

Angela pulled away and looked her father in the eyes. "I am home."

Richard hugged her one more time before walking over to Marko.

"Take care of her." He extended his hand.

"I will." He shook his hand.

At that moment, Angela was brought to her knees by a sudden feeling of faintness, and then confusion.

"What's wrong?" Richard asked as the boys surrounded her.

"I don't know." She said as Marko helped her to her feet.

"I heard something outside." David began. "Go check it out."

Paul and Dwayne left the cave as Laddie ran into the room towards Star.

"Are you ok?" Star asked Laddie who whispered to her. "Whatever happened to Angela," She said. "Me and Laddie felt it too."

"You should sit down." Marko motioned to the fountain.

As Angela began making her way towards the fountain, Paul and Dwayne entered the cave dragging two young men with them.

"Angela!" Edgar yelled.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" She walked towards them.

"We knew there was something up with you so we decided to come back ourselves." Alan said.

If she didn't regret bringing the boys to the cave before, she certainly did now.

"You thought the two of you could take on all of them yourselves?" Richard asked.

"Well," Edgar hesitated. "I don't know. But we got one of them at least."

"What's he talking about?" David asked.

"Max." Paul said. "He's dead."

The small group made their way outside where they were met with the lifeless body of Max, a stake through his heart.

"They really killed him." Angela said.

"Which means we're not-" Star began.

"Yeah." Angela didn't need her to say it. Just as she'd come to terms with her new life it was taken away from her.

"Now we just have to take care of these guys." Edgar whispered to Alan.

"Don't be stupid boys." David said. "You're lucky you're still breathing."

"For now." Dwayne added.

"Wait a minute guys," Richard began. "These two did you a favor. Max would have turned on you eventually, David. At least this way you can be the head vampire."

"So what does this mean?" Angela asked.

"It means you have a choice," Richard began. "David turned you once, he can do it again."

"He's right." Star said. "But me and Laddie aren't." She turned to David. "We don't belong here."

"Are you sure?" Angela asked her.

Star nodded. "At first I thought I was protecting you from David, and then I didn't want you to go through everything I did. But you've been so happy here, Angie. You should stay."

Angela smiled at her, understanding that Star had good intentions all along.

"Do you know what being a full vampire means, Angela?" Alan asked.

Angela smiled. "I'll be alright."

"So what do we do with these guys?" Dwayne asked.

"Let them go." Angela said. "They won't bother us if we don't bother them, right guys?"

The boys reluctantly agreed. "Yeah, sure."

"So where will you go?" Angela turned to Star.

"Don't worry about us," She smiled. "We'll be fine."

* * *

After exchanging good-byes, Angela found herself sitting on the ledge of the fountain, Marko beside her.

"There's no going back after this, you know." He said.

"I know," She began. "But at least this time it's a choice." She joked.

He smiled. "I love you Angie."

She took in every feature of his face, from his piercing eyes to the wide grin he displayed. She remembered the night she met him near the bird cages, and suddenly she felt like a bird herself. Her cage had finally been opened.

"I love you too, Marko." She smiled.

At that moment, Paul and Dwayne walked over with David following close behind - a silver bottle in hand.

"You know, you're not so bad after all." David said as he approached her.

"You're not so bad yourself." She smiled as she stood up. "Hey old friend." She said softly as she took the bottle from his hands.


	11. Epilogue

_"'Cause I'm as free as a bird now,_

_And this bird you cannot change..."_

_-Lynyrd Skynyrd_

Several weeks later the boardwalk was bustling with life. The warm August night serving as the perfect back drop for an eventful evening.

The merry-go-round seemed to be especially crowded, five unique individuals among its passengers.

David strolled around the area, taking in everything around him, his signature smirk on his face.

Dwayne and Paul followed close behind, playfully shoving each other along the way.

Angela and Marko came last, Angela laughing as Marko bit at her neck playfully.

* * *

Edgar and Alan stood near the entrance of the shop, organizing a shelf of comics. At the sight of the small group walking toward them, Alan nudged Edgar softly on the arm.

"Look who it is."

David was the first to approach the boys, walking past slowly, a grin smeared across his face. "Gentlemen." was all he said, but it was enough to instill the fear into the brothers.

Paul and Dwayne followed, only smiling at them knowing that was enough to frighten the boys.

Angela and Marko approached them last, hand in hand. "Can you give us a minute?" She turned to Marko.

"No problem." He kissed her before smirking at the boys and disappearing.

"Hey guys." She smiled. "It's been a while."

When the boys only nodded she sighed. "Don't tell me you're still freaked out, guys."

"How can we not be?" Alan asked.

"We aren't supposed to let our allies turn into the enemy." Edgar added.

"Fair enough." Angela responded. "But think of it this way, now you have an ally on the inside." She joked causing the boys to smile.

"Yeah, so how's your dad?" Alan asked.

"Still in shock." She laughed. "But he's getting used to it. It's funny, I feel like we actually might have a relationship now."

"Now that you're a…" Edgar stopped himself.

"You can say it," Angela smiled. "Now that I'm a _vampire_. I know it's weird but, I don't think vampires were what he was after all this time."

"So what does he do now that he's not a hunter?" Edgar asked.

"He's sticking to his day job." She laughed. "He's an accountant, surprisingly he finds working at a desk all day very relaxing."

"If I ever quit hunting for a desk job I'll kill myself." Edgar said, Alan nodding in agreement.

Angela smiled. "Well speaking of hunting, I wanted to thank you guys."

"For what?" Alan asked.

"For keeping your promise. I know how difficult it must be for two of Santa Carla's finest vampire hunters." She smiled.

"Yeah, well just know we only agreed to stop hunting them." Edgar said.

"Yeah," Alan chimed in. "All others are fair game."

Angela laughed. "I wouldn't expect anything less. And even though he'll never say so, I know David secretly appreciates what you did."

"By the way," Edgar began. "How are Drew and his parents taking everything?"

"You know, Drew didn't seem surprised at all. My aunt on the other hand," She smiled. "She had a hard time looking at me for a while, but she's coming around."

"So you might as well tell us," Alan began. "What's it like to be a vampire?"

"Not that we'll ever like them," Edgar quickly added. "You're just a minor exception."

Angela laughed. "Guys, it's…._amazing_! I've never felt so alive, I mean, I get to sleep all day, party all night. Never grow old, and never die. It's fun to be a vampire."

**A/N: **My story has finally come to an end, it's a bit different from what I had planned in the beginning but overall I'm happy with the way it all turned out. Not bad for my first one J Thank you sooo much to everyone that read and enjoyed, and to all of you who left such awesome reviews! I'm currently planning another story but I don't know if I want to make it a continuation of this story (but focusing on other characters as well as adding new ones) or if I want to start an entirely new story. Any thoughts? Hope you all liked it, I hope to only get better from here! Thanks again!


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